


Drawing Closer

by Serani



Series: Static [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Frottage, Humor, M/M, Masturbation, Oral Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-12-12
Updated: 2012-12-24
Packaged: 2017-11-20 22:42:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/590465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Serani/pseuds/Serani
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After an incredible night, Itachi is ready to explore this new relationship.   Itachi is gorgeous, the CEO, *rich* - could have anyone.  Izumo doesn't get it - why him?  But the questions aren't enough to keep him away. His own feelings are too strong, even if he doesn't know what they are - yet.  He's willing to find out, though. He wants to know, too, what's drawing them closer...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Pickleweasel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pickleweasel/gifts).



> The alternate universe here is all mine including locations and original characters. Itachi, Izumo, Kotetsu and Kurenai and anyone else part of the Naruto fandom belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

“I’m not here.”

Izumo looked up from the stack of papers in front of him, eyebrows going up and blinked at the man who leaned against his now-closed office door. “You’re an awfully vivid construct of my imagination, then,” Izumo managed.

Itachi smirked and then frowned as he looked around the small room. “Your office is way too small for what you do.”  Izumo glanced at the familiar workspace.  Two filing cabinets covered part of the window behind his desk.  Next to them on one regular wall and along the other wall, were tall, deep metal shelves filled with tools, parts, discs and all manner of computer things.  On the wall opposite his desk was a large whiteboard covered in project notes, days off reminders, scheduling issues and the like.  His coat tree was crammed between one set of shelves and the door and behind the door was his single, spare chair.

His own desk was covered.  It was budget time, so there were spreadsheets taking up just about every inch of surface area.  His keyboard and mouse were buried and, in fact, the only things visible were his monitor and pen cup, at the moment. Everything else had paper on it.

Izumo shrugged. “I’m kind of used to it. I’d probably just fill something bigger with more things that no one has room anywhere else for.” He chuckled. “This way, they can’t make me responsible for any more.”

Itachi laughed. “Good strategy. See? Brilliant.”

Izumo rolled his eyes.  “I thought you weren’t here.”

Itachi crossed the room and leaned across Izumo’s desk until they were only a few inches apart. “Nope. I’m a construct of your imagination.  Incidentally, does that mean you imagine me often?”

Izumo blushed.  He’d been doing just that right before Itachi had walked in, instead of working on budgeting.  His mind had been firmly on two nights ago and a rather extraordinary bout of desk sex.  Then the after-sex dinner.  Sesame chicken and conversation, then they’d had sex again.  Then they’d talked more, had sex _again_ and finally taken a shower in that huge bathroom.  He had, in fact, not gotten home until very late.

He was quite uncomfortable at the moment because of it, having been brought to the present rather quickly.  “That seems to… um… happen, yes,” Izumo admitted and the smirk on Itachi’s face turned into a full smile.

“Good. I… well, me, too,” he murmured, closing the distance.

Izumo’s eyes slid closed as their lips touched.  He dropped the papers in his hands and cupped Itachi’s face, tilting his own head to deepen the kiss.  One strong hand cupped his head, fingers threading through his hair and their mouths opened to more fully taste each other.  Izumo’s breath stuttered and his heart pounded, the feel of this man that he was so fascinated by filling him and he still couldn’t believe or understand it.

A ping from his computer had them breaking apart.  An instant message from his best friend came up. “Yuhi’s on the floor.”

“Kurenai’s looking for you,” Izumo said and Itachi swore.

“Move back,” he said, rounding the desk.

Izumo raised his eyebrow, but did as he was bid, watching as Itachi crawled under his desk.  Izumo blinked down at him. “Itachi?”

But he just held a finger to his lips, grabbed Izumo’s chair and tugged it closer.  Izumo shook his head as he was pulled in, resettling in his chair a little better.  He stared, unseeingly, at the papers on his desk, trying to figure out what to do.

A few seconds later, there was a knock. “Come in!” He called.

Kurenai Yuhi pushed the door open and leaned in.  Her eyes moved over the room, then settled on Izumo. “He’s here, isn’t he?”

“Uh, who, Ms. Yuhi?” Izumo asked, hoping he looked as innocent as he was trying for.

“Don’t give me that.” Guess he didn’t manage it. “Itachi. He’s here. Where is he?”

“Well, uh, unless he’s in the filing cabinet, there’s no place for him to be…” Izumo said, shifting in his seat and fighting harder for an innocent expression when he felt a hand on his pants.

Kurenai’s dark eyes narrowed.  She shook her head, her long black hair flying out behind her and stepped fully into the room.  “I don’t buy that one bit. He’s here, he has to be.”

Izumo shook his own head. “Why? Why would he be here?” He asked and the puzzlement was real – he was lost as to why she’d assume Itachi was in _his_ office.

“Because you’re all he’s been able to talk about for two days now.”  Izumo’s mouth dropped open, but not only because of what Kurenai said.  No, his zipper was being lowered at the same time.  The timing just happened to work out _really_ well.

He gaped at her. “He has?”

Kurenai stood up straighter and her scowl faded. “Yes.  He is rather enamored with you.”  She actually smiled, instead. She glanced around, obviously looking for a chair and Izumo was very grateful his only one was stacked with boxes at the moment.  He also took the brief break to reach under and try to pull up his zipper, but Itachi’s hands were there, moving his underwear aside and pulling his cock out.  He managed to suppress the grunt when his still half-hard cock was suddenly engulfed in Itachi’s hot mouth.

“Uh… I… um…” Izumo stammered, with no idea what to say to that.  Horribly aware of the fact that Itachi was under the desk currently _sucking on his cock_ , Izumo struggled with the need to both groan at the feel and _not_ give Itachi’s location away.

Kurenai just smiled. “It’s okay,” she said, misinterpreting his hesitation.  “He tends to unsettle a lot of people.” The smiled faded. “But… if you don’t feel the same…” she started and Izumo held his hand up.

“No, um… that’s not…” he felt _really_ weird trying to discuss this with her. Especially since he hadn’t told Itachi much about his feelings – since he didn’t really understand all that much yet, himself.  And Itachi was under his desk, _sucking his cock_.  He couldn’t think _normally_ when that was happening to him and this was even worse.

But she rescued him from having to quantify. “Don’t worry,” she said with a sly smile.  “I can see enough.”  Izumo blinked at her, wondering what she meant by that.  He opened his mouth to speak – though he still had no idea what to say, when she beat him to it.  “Well, when you see him – because I am sure you will – tell him that I am _not_ able to cancel the meeting he’s so hell bent on getting out of.  He’s got twenty minutes to finish whatever he’s doing and get back upstairs.  Thanks, Mr. Kamizuki.”

“Uh, Izumo,” Izumo managed, though it was a close thing, because Itachi chose that moment to swallow around his cock and he nearly choked on the air he inhaled.

“Alright, Izumo. I’ll see you later, I’m sure.” She threw a wave over her shoulder then stepped through the door, closing it behind herself.

“Itachi!” Izumo hissed, reaching under the desk.  His hand collided with Itachi’s head and he tapped on it, trying to get Itachi to _stop_.  But Itachi didn’t seem to want to move and instead started playing with Izumo’s balls.  Izumo groaned and stopped trying to push the man away. His fingers threaded through the black hair, his eyes closed and he lost himself in the pleasure.  Lips, tongue, a suck, a swallow and Izumo had to fight hard against a full shout.

The man was amazingly talented and Izumo felt his balls tightening insanely fast, now that he wasn’t distracted by having to speak coherently.  It was only the shaking that brought him back to himself.  He managed to move enough to twist around the side of the chair and look down to see Itachi’s cock out and the man’s hand flying over the hard length.  “Oh God…” he whispered at the view, but then finally was able to pull back and out, bringing a surprised expression to Itachi’s face.

“What…?”  Itachi asked, blinking up at him.

“Let me help you,” Izumo whispered, dropping to his knees next to Itachi and shoving his chair away.  “We shouldn’t be doing this, but _God_ , I can’t seem to resist you.”

“Good. I don’t want you to,” Itachi murmured, coming back out from under the desk and catching Izumo’s lips again.

They lost themselves for a long moment in the feel of lips and tongue.  Hands moved over each other’s bodies as the kiss deepened further.  Soft moans were loosed and when Itachi tightened his arms around Izumo, pulling him in, their cocks brushing, Izumo was forcibly reminded of why he stopped Itachi in the first place.  He pulled back from the kiss and took in the dark grey eyes. “Please… let me…”

Itachi put a finger over his lips. “You can help me finish. Lay back.”

Izumo wanted to protest, insist he do more, but their location was still very much in the forefront of his mind, so he did as Itachi bid, his head resting against the thick glass window.  Itachi shifted, settling between Izumo’s legs and a moment later, he was swallowed and it was as if there hadn’t even been a break.  His hands went to the black hair, his eyes were glued to that sexy mouth stretched around his cock and Izumo bit hard at his lip to keep his sounds contained.

It didn’t work very well, however.  Before long, he was screaming toward the edge and an “Oh fuck,” slipped out, anyway.  Itachi pulled off, running his tongue over the crown, then around under the ridge before moving back down over the entire length.  Another suck, a swallow around the sensitive head and Izumo’s hands tightened in the hair.  “Oh God… _nngh_ ‘Tachi, I’m… oh _fuck_ , I’m going to…” he started, but when Itachi swallowed and sucked again, he lost it, the pleasure slamming into him. “ _Fuck!”_   He grit his teeth, unable to keep the sound contained completely.  The climax hit and despite his best efforts, he rocked, thrusting into Itachi’s hot mouth as the orgasm pulled the cum from him and shot it down Itachi’s throat.

When Izumo started to go soft, Itachi pulled off and Izumo fought hard to gather wits and breath.  The grey eyes were locked on Izumo’s face, Itachi’s hand still moving, stroking a cock that was so hard and red that Izumo knew he had to be close and so Izumo managed to move, sitting up and pulling on him.  They switched places and Izumo wasted no time swallowing the man’s length.  Itachi grunted and he felt the hand in his hair, tangling through the locks.

Izumo poured himself into it, one hand cupping and teasing Itachi’s balls as he pulled up, tongue tracing a line along the underside.  He toyed with slit and ridge, then swallowed again and Itachi started moving, thrusting into Izumo’s mouth.  Izumo held on, sucking, adding what he could and only a few moments later, the hands flexed, pulling his hair and Itachi’s let out a, “Fuck, Izumo… Coming… Oh _God!_ ” that sounded loud in the office.  Izumo couldn’t care because then he felt the cock twitch against his tongue and he was focusing instead on swallowing the not-insignificant evidence of Itachi’s pleasure.

When it stopped, he pulled off and looked up, meeting the grey eyes that were fixed on him.  Itachi sat up and, Izumo followed suit, reaching out and touching this person that confused him so much.  Confused him because he _wanted_.   He didn’t understand how he could feel the things he did for Itachi – this want, this need, all these things that bubbled, not after two days of knowing this man.  But he _was_ fascinated beyond all sense, could think of little else besides Itachi and the time they’d spent together.

Despite the fact that they were both hanging out of their clothes, they ignored it all for a moment, leaning in, arms wrapping around each other as lips met for another long, sanity-stealing kiss.  When they pulled back, Itachi brushed a knuckle over Izumo’s cheek. “I missed you.”

Izumo blinked at him. “It was only two days…”

“Did you forget about me, then, in that time?” He asked, face serious.

Izumo snorted and replied before thinking it through. “Hardly. You’re all I thought about.”  As soon as it was out, his cheeks darkened but Itachi just smiled widely.

“Well, then, that’s a good thing,” he replied, closing the distance for another kiss.  When they broke apart, he glanced at his watch then sighed. “I should get going.”

“Did you have something you came all the way down here for? Or was it just to hide from Kurenai?” Izumo asked with a smirk as they got to their feet and put themselves away.

Itachi didn’t answer right away.  When they were settled, Izumo leaning against the desk, Itachi stepped up, wrapping arms around him again.  “I did, in fact. And not for the amazing blow job, either.”

Izumo’s cheeks got red again and Itachi chuckled. “Don’t be so embarrassed.  It _was_ amazing.  And I didn’t come down here just for sex.” He frowned. “I want much more from you than that.”

Izumo blinked at him, raising his eyebrows. “More than sex?”

“Mmm,” Itachi said, nodding. “Yes. I want a date.”

Izumo raised his eyebrows again. “A date?”

“Yes. You agreed to date me, remember?” Itachi asked, smirk back in place.

Izumo blinked, but nodded. “I remember something to that effect. I also reminded you that I work for you.”

“Ah, but your agreement came after I threatened to fire you and then pointed out that I didn’t really have to.”

Izumo frowned at the tone of voice, reminding himself that Itachi hadn’t seemed quite sure of himself the other night, either. “I did agree,” he said softly, meeting the grey eyes. “When?”

“Tonight, if you’re not busy.”

Izumo smiled and shook his head. “I’m not busy.  I’d like that.”

“Good.” Itachi leaned in and caught Izumo’s lips in another long kiss.  Izumo moaned at the taste – the taste of himself on Itachi’s lips, the feel of the man against him.  He heard an answering sound and the arms around him tightened.  “God, can’t seem to get enough of you,” Itachi whispered then took his lips once more.  A moment later, they finally pulled back and Itachi opened his mouth to speak again when Izumo’s door was opened.

“Oh HO! I knew something happened the other night! Go, Zu!” Kotetsu cheered as he stepped into the office and shut the door.

Izumo growled and closed his eyes, trying to _not_ die of mortification.  He rested his face on Itachi’s shoulder, face bright red.

“You didn’t tell him?”

Izumo opened his eyes, looking up and shook his head. “Not yet.  I didn’t, uh, I don’t, um, fuck and tell as a rule.”

“We didn’t fuck.”

“Even more reason not to tell.” Izumo muttered and Itachi smiled at that.

“Good point,” he replied, dropping another kiss on Izumo’s lips. 

“And… it was just a… ‘not yet’.”

Itachi considered him and nodded. “Good.”  Then he turned his attention to the other man in the room. “Hello.”

“Itachi Uchiha, this is my tactless asshole of a best friend and roommate, Kotetsu Hagane.”  He shook his head, throwing a glare at a very unrepentant Kotetsu. “Kotetsu, this is Itachi Uchiha, _our_ boss and, my, uh…” he hesitated.

“Boyfriend,” Itachi filled in smoothly holding a hand out while not letting go of Izumo with the other.

Kotetsu’s eyebrows went up. “Well, hell. Alright. He deserves it. He’s had shit for boyfriends. Nice to meet you, sir.”

“Just Itachi,” Itachi replied. “And it’s nice to meet you.  He has, has he?”

Kotetsu nodded. “Yeah, they don’t treat him all that well. Which, I should tell you now, boss or not, if you don’t -- treat him well, that is, I’ll kick your ass.”

“Tetsu!” Izumo moaned, eyes closing.

“You’ve nothing to worry about, but I’m glad to hear it, either way.”  Itachi turned and dropped another kiss to Izumo’s temple. “I need to go.  I’ll pick you up at six-thirty, is that okay?” When Izumo nodded, he stepped back then leaned in, leaving another soft kiss on Izumo’s temple. “Oh, do you have a suit?”  Izumo’s eyebrows went up, but he nodded. “Good. Wear it. See you later.”  With one more kiss to Izumo’s lips, he nodded to Kotetsu and headed out.

Izumo stood there for a long moment and stared at the doorway, then shook his head to clear it, looking at his friend. “Did you want something?” He asked a little testily as he grabbed his chair and sat behind his desk.  He had stuff to do yet before he could go home and now he had all the reason in the world to get done on time.

Kotetsu grinned. “Congratulations,” he said simply, then moved over and sat on the edge of Izumo’s desk.  He paused, sniffed the air, smirked, then, “Okay, now, spill.”

“I am not telling you what happened. That’s between Itachi and me,” Izumo said with a scowl.

Kotetsu rolled his eyes. “I don’t expect a play by play.  I’m not the gossiping bitches over in accounting. But really…”  He shook his head. “Fine. But… what’s up?”

Izumo sighed and rubbed at the bridge of his nose. “We’re dating. Apparently full boyfriends.”

“That seems news to you.”

“You could say that.” He shook his head and looked up at his best friend through his hair. “I like him, though. A lot.  Maybe more than like.”  He mumbled the rest and shook his head at himself.  “It seems that he saw me at the coffee shop downstairs, wanted to know who I was.  _Apparently_ , he followed me onto the elevator, though I don’t remember that, to see what floor I got off on.”

“Wow,” Kotetsu said, eyes wide. “That’s almost a little stalker-ish, but… cool, too. That he wanted to know so badly.”

Izumo nodded. “I can’t fault him. I mean… I took every meeting-room call, took every chance I could to be where he might have been.” He shrugged a shoulder.

“Yeah.” Kotetsu nodded. “What’s wrong, though?”

Izumo shrugged. “Why me, Tetsu?”

Kotetsu scowled. “What do you mean, ‘why me’? You’re smart, funny, gorgeous, why wouldn’t he want you?”

Izumo sighed. “You’re as bad as he is.  He said the same things. But I’m not.  God, he’s _Itachi Uchiha_ , he could have anyone he wanted. I’m nothing special.” Kotetsu reached out and punched him on the shoulder. “Hey! What was that for?”  He asked, rubbing his arm, scowl on his own face.

“Being an idiot. Obviously, you’re special to him.  Accept it.”  He shook his head. “So… date tonight?”

“Yeah. Dinner, at least.  Though… I don’t know that I’d expect me home tonight…” Izumo said, trailing off in thought.

Kotetsu smirked. “If things go well, I won’t expect you all weekend.”

Izumo rolled his eyes. “Get out. I have work to do before I can go or Raidou will have my head.”

“Just tell him you’re dating Itachi, he won’t care.”

“No. And you don’t, either. This is just between us!” Izumo said, panicking a bit and pointing at Kotetsu.

Kotetsu held up his hands. “Okay! Okay. For now. It won’t stay that way.  Office rumor mill is already talking about him being in here.”

“I know. I’m just… not ready to look for a job yet.” Izumo sighed. “And… yeah, I may not have to – and Itachi already offered me a contract position instead, if it comes down to that, but…” He shrugged a shoulder, and Kotetsu nodded.

“Yeah, well, the bills are in good shape if you have to. Don’t worry, okay?” Kotetsu offered and Izumo nodded.  “Focus on him. If things work out, you might not have to worry about money ever again. Maybe you can start that business you were thinking about,” he said with a grin.

Izumo laughed. “Yeah, whatever. Get out of here.”

Kotetsu grinned and threw a wave over his shoulder. “See you at five!”


	2. Chapter 2

Izumo glared at the ties in his hands, trying to decide which one he wanted.  His black suit pants were on, the light blue shirt buttoned up, collar up and out of the way, but he couldn’t seem to pick which tie.  The left hand held a simple, charcoal grey one with light grey diagonal stripes on it.  The right hand held his favorite – deep purple with the picture of the star nebula covering the majority of the bottom of the tie. 

“The nebula.  And you better hurry, there’s a limo parked downstairs,” Kotetsu said from the doorway.

Izumo turned, eyes wide, to his friend.  He glanced at the clock on his bedside table to see it was only six-fifteen.   He blew a breath out, tossed the grey tie onto his bed and turned to his mirror. “You’re kidding, right? He didn’t bring a limo…” Izumo said as he pulled the tie around his neck. 

“Uh, no, not kidding.  The pizza guy said he had trouble getting around it to get to the apartment.” Kotetsu shook his head. 

“Oh.  Shit. He’s in a limo. Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. Why did I agree to date the CEO of the company, Kotetsu? What the fuck was I smoking?” He asked, fighting with the tie.  He had to start over again and still fumbled with it. He untied it again, took a deep breath and tried, once more, pulling the wide end down and working it one more time into a knot. “Ugh, this looks like shit. Why can’t I tie a tie?” He grumbled, glancing in the mirror at Kotetsu.

“I’m not much better, but hang on,” his friend said, crossing the room.  He took the ends out of Izumo’s hands and started working. “You were doing the half again. I told you a full looks better.”

Izumo sighed.  “I never could get the full-Windsor to look right,” he grumbled as Kotetsu worked. 

Kotetsu pulled on the wide end, fussed with the knot itself once more and stepped back. “There.”

Izumo looked into the mirror and nodded. “Thank you. Now, what the hell am I doing again?”

“You’re going on a date with a man who wants you. One who has gone out of his way to find out about you. He’s every damned gay man, straight woman and bi-person’s dream. He’s rich. He’s nice. He’s sexy as hell. And you deserve it. Now stop fussing. Did you masturbate?”  Kotetsu asked.

Izumo raised an eyebrow, but the color on his cheeks gave him away.  “In the shower,” he mumbled as he messed with the tie then straightened his collar.  He had, in fact, not only masturbated and showered, but he’d also cleaned himself – inside and out, shaved just about everything below his eyebrows, including his groin and balls.  He’d done everything he could conceivably think of to make himself look as good as possible.

When he was sure his collar was as straight as it could be, he grabbed his brush again, pulling it through the shoulder-length hair and making sure it was as good as it could get.  Then he grabbed his wallet, cell phone and keys, debated over the condoms and tiny bottle of lube but picked them up, anyway and finally grabbed his jacket, pulling it on.  He checked himself in the mirror again and sighed. 

The black suit was the most expensive piece of clothing he owned.  Itachi’s _shirt_ probably cost more than the whole suit did at nearly six hundred dollars.  It was a simple, classic, black, two-button suit that was basically what he wore for everything semi-formal.  It had taken him nearly four months to pay off the credit card he’d put it on.  He did have a second suit just in case he found himself in the unlucky position of needing one two days in a row, but it didn’t fit properly, so it was shoved in the back of his closet.

He straightened the sleeves, checked his dress shoes – black Oxfords with wingtips that were currently nice and shiny, and his one nod to fashion.  Then he took another deep breath and was about to brush his hair again for something to do when the doorbell rang.  “There’s your date,” Kotetsu said, with a grin. “Should I get the door?”

“Uh, no. No, I can,” Izumo muttered.  The butterflies in his stomach were causing a riot and he tried, desperately, to calm them. At the rate things were going, he wasn’t going to be able to _eat_. 

He hurried to the door, took another deep breath and pulled it open.

Itachi looked… incredible.  Izumo stared for a long moment, vaguely aware that his mouth was hanging open.  The long, black hair hung free down over a black jacket that was obviously tailored _for_ him.  It was similar in style to the one Izumo wore, but Izumo didn’t know that much about fashion.  It looked pretty simple to him, with fairly narrow lapels, two buttons and fit the man perfectly.  The shirt he wore was pale grey and the tie… had Looney Tunes characters on it!  Izumo grinned, feeling his nervousness fade a bit and looked up into the grey eyes to see Itachi looking about as nervous as Izumo felt.

“Hi. You look… amazing,” Itachi murmured, eyes roaming over Izumo’s body. 

Izumo blushed. He didn’t think he looked half as good as Itachi did, but managed to give a reasonably understandable, “Thank you.”  He cleared his throat, got a grip on himself – for God’s sake, he’d had the man’s cock in his body more than once!  “You look more than amazing.  I love the tie.”

Itachi smiled. “Thanks, I like yours, too. It’s easy, though, when you’ve got money.  Oh!” He pulled his arm from behind his back and held out a small bonsai tree.  “I got you this.”

Izumo’s eyes widened and he took the small plant gingerly. “It’s gorgeous!” He held it up, turning it a couple of times to look at it from different angles.  It was still fairly small, but had plenty of room to grow and Izumo wondered if it wasn’t symbolic then guessed, based on the look on Itachi’s face, that it very much was.  “Thank you.  I love it, it’s perfect.”  He leaned in and gave Itachi a soft kiss.

When he pulled back, Itachi was smiling.  “You’re welcome.  So, uh, are you ready?”

Izumo returned the smile and turned to set the plant very carefully over on his desk.  “I am.”  He threw a wave at Kotetsu, who waved back at Izumo then sent one at Itachi and finally they were headed down to the car.

Izumo paused when he saw it.  It wasn’t a stretch limo or anything, but it was longer than a typical town car and Izumo blushed a little when Itachi held a hand out and he realized he’d been staring.  “Izumo?”

Izumo muttered an apology, hurrying over and as they approached, a very large individual came around the car to open the door for him. “Izumo, this is Jake Nimitz, my driver and bodyguard.  Jake, this is Izumo.”

“I’m glad to finally meet you,” Jake said, smiling.  “You’re all he’s talked about for days.”  Itachi rolled his eyes and Izumo grinned.  Jake was a good six and a half feet and solid muscle.  Izumo saw very close-cropped dark hair under a driver’s cap and the long suit jacket the man wore was stretched snugly over a wide, toned chest.

“Nice to meet you, Jake,” Izumo said, holding his hand out.  Jake’s gloved one enclosed his and they shook and Izumo couldn’t help but smile at the restrained strength behind it. The shake was firm, but not overbearing.

When he let go, he pulled the door open and Izumo climbed into the car.  The interior surprised him.  It didn’t look like he expected the limo to look.  Instead, it looked like an executive office on wheels.  The seats were black leather, the divider between the front and back currently up, showing a display with the weather, stock reports and news headlines.  There were two smaller displays of some sort, panels in the back of the divider that looked like they moved and two compartments in front of the display that were currently open with ice and bottles in them.  Between these was what looked like a car CD player, though Izumo noticed a USB connection and a button labeled “DVD,” as well.

Izumo shook his head as he settled into the seat. “I’ve, uh, never been in something like this before.”

“No?” Itachi asked. Izumo shook his head. “Good, then I get to spoil you a bit.  This is not typical of most limos.  I had it custom made.  I spend a lot of time going between our offices and other people’s and I found that having a mobile place to work was handy.  However, because I _am_ on the road, _in_ the city, I also didn’t like the waste a car like this would create. So I had them fit a hybrid engine in it.”

Izumo’s eyebrows went up. “It’s a hybrid?” When Itachi nodded, Izumo grinned. “That’s great.  My little car is a hybrid, so is Tetsu’s.  Neither are this nice inside, though…”

Itachi chuckled. “Well, I certainly paid for it.  But I don’t regret it, especially since it allows me to be productive while between meetings, freeing my evenings to spend how I like _and_ it gives me privacy.”  He turned a heated smirk at Izumo, whose cheeks turned red at the thoughts of just what they could get up to with the divider up between the compartments.  “So, would you care for a drink?”

“Um, I probably shouldn’t,” he said, shifting in his seat to face Itachi.  “I don’t have the best tolerance for it.”  Izumo took in the expression on Itachi’s face and tried to puzzle it out, but he couldn’t.  He was still having so much trouble over his own confusion that trying to decipher Itachi’s feelings was just out of the question.  Itachi turned toward him and reached out, brushing fingers over one cheek.

“Are you okay?” Itachi asked quietly and despite himself, despite the nervousness, the crazy confusion, Izumo laughed.  When Itachi realized what he’d asked, he joined in. “I seem to ask you that a lot, don’t I?”

Izumo nodded. “Yes,” he said, but realized he was feeling a lot better.  “But… that’s okay.  And… yes, I am okay.  More than.  I’m… sorry, this is still a lot for me to take in. I’m…” he shook his head. “I’m still not sure what I’m doing here.”

Itachi’s smile spread. “That’s easy.  Going on a date with me.  It’s simple. We already know that we like each other, don’t we?”  When Izumo nodded, he continued, “Now, it’s just a matter of spending time together to see if this is what I think it might be.”

“What you think it might be?” Izumo asked. He still wasn’t sure what _he_ wanted, but he found himself hoping that whatever Itachi said, it involved something long-term.  And in that moment, with that little bit of understanding, the rest of the pieces started falling into place. He _did_ want this man, for a lot more than sex, for… everything.  He swallowed around his suddenly dry throat as that truth sank in and his eyes widened just a bit.

Itachi considered him but didn’t answer directly. He brushed a thumb over Izumo’s cheek, instead. “I guess we’ll see what it is.  But this… static that we seem to feel, whatever it is pulling us in, I don’t think it’s for anything passing.”

Izumo closed his eyes and leaned his face into the hand.  “Me, either.  I really hope not,” he whispered and was surprised when he felt Itachi’s lips on his.  He leaned into the kiss, cupping Itachi’s face and Itachi’s lips parted, giving Izumo access to the mouth he’d come to want so much.  They kept it slow and light, tongues just touching and playing, lips moving, brushing, teasing.  Izumo felt that static, that extra _something_ pass between them again and his eyes opened to meet Itachi’s. They held for the longest moment and Izumo couldn’t quite decipher what was behind the look. 

Itachi smiled. “I’d kiss you more, want to, but for one thing, I was serious. I want more from you than sex. And for the other… it would make things _very_ difficult on both of us when we had to get out of the car.”

Izumo smiled as he dropped his hands and sat back against the leather.  “Well, that would be true.” 

He shifted and Itachi put his arm around Izumo’s waist, pulling until they were flush against each other. “I prefer you here.”

Izumo glanced over out of the corner of his eye. “I like being there,” he murmured, putting one hand on Itachi’s knee then turned to look out the window.  He was surprised to see they were downtown, the lights of late workers shining from offices sprinkled here and there.  The streets had thinned out a bit, business traffic being replaced by the pre-theater dinner crowd.  Instead of sedans and small compact cars, limos and taxis were much more prevalent.

The limo slid through the lanes, switching as needed so smoothly that Izumo barely noticed it.  They passed through the cultural district with the theaters that were bright with flashing lights and scrolling marquees, announcing _Newsies, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof_ and _Wicked_ , among others. They moved on through a short section of high-rise apartment buildings and small cafes then pulled to a stop in front of a hotel that Izumo had only ever seen in passing, but heard a lot about.

The Hotel Sycamore was _the_ place to stay in the city.  The most basic rooms were out of Izumo’s price range and the suites were beyond even considering.  They were often booked a year or more in advance and Izumo had heard that many of them included celebrities, foreign royalty and other dignitaries and, of course, CEOs like Itachi. 

It was once an old textile factory back during the early part of the twentieth century and had made Historic Landmark status.  Some billionaire in the fifties had converted it to the hotel, keeping the original brick, iron and stone façade and refurbishing the interior.  There was a wide entrance of shiny brass and glass doors, big green awning and, of course, the requisite red carpet in front.

Jake pulled up to the curb at the main entrance of the hotel.  Izumo reached for the door before he remembered himself but Jake was pretty fast and was around the car, opening the door on Itachi’s side before Izumo could do anything.  Itachi stepped out and turned to wait for him.  Once Izumo joined him on the sidewalk, Itachi took Izumo’s hand and they turned toward the door.

As they walked up to the entrance, one of the doormen nodded. “Mr. Uchiha, nice to see you this evening.  Welcome,” he said, pulling the door open.

“Good evening, Andrew. How is Mrs. Aimes?”

“She’s doin’ just fine, thanks for asking.”

“Glad to hear it, Andrew. Have a good night,” Itachi said and turned to wait for Izumo to precede him into the building. 

Izumo nodded to the doorman who smiled and nodded back, then stepped through the door.  Izumo blinked at his… boyfriend.  That word still gave him pause when he used it in conjunction with Itachi.  “Do you come here often?”

Itachi smiled. “I do, in fact. This is one of my favorite restaurants.  Which reminds me.  Tonight is on me, since I asked you to dinner.”

“Oh, well, thank you,” Izumo mumbled, stuffing his hands in his pockets.  He blushed. That was one thing he’d tried not to think about.  If it came down to it, he could have put the dinner on his credit card, no matter where they went. It would have hurt, depending on where they ended up, but he’d have happily done it.  That said, considering the restaurant they were heading to, Izumo was kind of glad that Itachi offered.

“I thought perhaps for our next date, you could take me out,” Itachi said, catching up to him.  One arm slid around Izumo’s waist and Izumo looked at Itachi in pleased surprise, eyebrows going up. “Is this a problem?”

Izumo shook his head quickly. “No, of course not!  I… well, I was going to ask. I just… didn’t know when or… how,” he finished a little lamely.  He paused and closed his eyes. “I am so out of my league here,” he muttered to himself.

Itachi chuckled. “Stop that.” He reached out and turned Izumo’s face toward him. “You belong with me. There is no league, here.” He paused to consider Izumo for a long moment.  “Are you happy when you’re with me?”

Izumo chewed on his lip for a few seconds. “I’m still off-balance around you.  So… yes… and, yet… I don’t know.”

“That’s fair,” Itachi allowed. “So how about we just relax and see if we can get that to mostly ‘yes’?”

Izumo nodded. “That’s fair,” he echoed and Itachi smiled.

“Good.”  He turned and they moved into the inner part of the hotel.  Izumo sucked in a breath.

The interior of the hotel had been restored very much like the exterior.  Much of the wrought iron balconies and elevators were installed to look exactly like the factory did at its prime.  The rooms were all along the outer wall of the building, with a wide, open atrium in the center.  The ceiling was a glass skylight, now dark, showing the stars. 

They stepped through a large archway, leading into the main part of the atrium.  Lush plants, antique chairs and other seating as well as historic replicas from the factory decorated the first floor. A long, red-tiled walkway wove through the plants and displays and Itachi led the way onto this.  Somewhere, a water fountain splashed and as they walked, Izumo saw that one end of the first floor hosted a bar made to look like one of the early assembly lines, the stools wooden and covered in red velvets.   Opposite it was the long, wooden check in desk.

They turned left, following the tile path through the plants, curving around until they came to a stairway that led straight down to a glass enclosed, subterranean restaurant.  The brass plate on the archway to the right read _The Sycamore Kitchen_.  Izumo blinked at it and thought it didn’t sound _too_ expensive, if it had “kitchen” in the name.

Itachi pulled the door open for him and they stepped into the dimmer interior of the restaurant.  It carried the factory theme inside, with more wood and wrought iron.  It was set up in an almost cafeteria style with long tables set with benches on one side and individual seats opposite.  There were some shorter tables, made to seat four or six and still others, rounded, that had semi-circular booths providing the seating.

The walls were in bare brick, the floor solid dark wood.  The tables and trim were all in a light wood that Izumo guessed was supposed to be sycamore.  Small potted ivies and candles sat in the centers of the tables and sconces and pictures of the original factory were interspersed along the walls.  Many of the diners were at the smaller tables as well as the ends of the longer ones. Izumo guessed the middles were used as a last resort.

Itachi approached the maître d’.  “Good evening, Jacques.”

“Good evening, Mr. Uchiha, how are you tonight?” The man asked. He was tall and slim with perfectly trimmed hair, a neat mustache and wore a dress shirt, vest and bowtie but no jacket.  His expression was somewhere between professional politeness and mild annoyance.  He turned and nodded at Izumo who pulled a polite smile out and nodded in return.

“Wonderful, thank you,” Itachi said, smiling at Izumo and taking his hand.

Jacques’s eyebrows went up slightly but he said nothing. Instead, he pulled the menus out and held a hand toward the restaurant. “If you’ll follow me?”

“Of course.  How are you this evening?” Itachi asked as they moved through the restaurant.

Izumo held onto Itachi’s hand as they dodged patrons, rounding a corner in the restaurant to stop by a smaller four-seat table set for two.  “I am doing quite well, thank you, Mr. Uchiha,” he said as they stopped.  “For tonight, I might suggest the salmon and if you do, we have a lovely ’10 Pinot Noir from Ponsi that would go quite well with it.”

“Thank you, Jacques,” Itachi said, pulling Izumo’s chair out for him.  Izumo sat, unbuttoning his his jacket and listening to the tone in his boyfriend’s voice.  “We will keep that in mind.”

Jacques bowed, laid the menus out over their plates and left.

“Jacques is not my favorite, here,” Itachi murmured after he took his seat and considered the menu.

Izumo raised his eyebrows, a smirk of his own playing at his lips.  “Really? I couldn’t tell.”

Itachi laughed. “Was I that obvious?”

Izumo shook his head. “I don’t think so. I could just… tell. There’s something about your voice when you’re not pleased by what’s happening but it’s not _very_ obvious.  Or, perhaps, it’s just when you’re trying to hide it.  I don’t know exactly as, as far as I know, I haven’t been on the receiving end of your displeasure.”  He frowned and muttered, “Yet,” but apparently, Itachi didn’t catch it.

Itachi’s eyebrows went up. “Really? Well, that’s… something,” he said, turning back to the menu.  “And no, you haven’t.” He said, glancing back up at Izumo who couldn’t quite hide the sigh of relief.  “So, do you like seafood?”

“Mmm. Yes, actually,” Izumo said, reading over the menu.  As he did, he realized that there were no prices and that certainly gave him pause.  But he couldn’t very well worry about the cost or which was more expensive if there were no amounts anywhere.  Instead, he tried to just consider the options. “So, you said this was one of your favorite restaurants?”

Itachi nodded. “Yes.  I love the atmosphere and the food is just fantastic.  I can get fancy seafood, a burger or a pizza, if I want.  There is also pasta, but if you do like seafood, the scallops are simply amazing.”

Izumo turned the menu page to see the mentioned scallops and nearly drooled at the description.  “They do look good.”

Itachi nodded. “You should have them, then.  There is a good salmon appetizer, but I like the seafood platter.”

Izumo smiled, grateful for the suggestions.  Itachi matched the smile and set his own menu down. “So, tell me something I don’t know about you.”

Izumo opened his mouth to speak when their server approached.  She was tall, trim and efficient, setting water glasses out before speaking.  “Good evening, Mr. Uchiha.” She greeted Itachi then turned and nodded to Izumo. “Sir. What can I get for you this evening?”

“I’d like the scallops, please,” Izumo said, setting the menu aside. He glanced up at Itachi who smiled.

“We’ll have the seafood platter to start.  I’d like the lobster and we’ll have a bottle of the Rosé Damask.”

“Very good, Mr. Uchiha, thank you,” she said, smiling, as she gathered their menus and stepped away. They watched her leave in silence for a moment then Itachi turned back to Izumo.

“Now, tell me something I don’t know about you,” Itachi started again as he opened his napkin and put it in his lap.

Izumo focused on his own for a long moment as he thought it through. “I went to the local community college,” he offered. “That’s where I got my first degree.”

“You did?” Itachi asked and Izumo nodded.  “I’ve heard that it’s a good program. Different, I mean, for IT.”

“It is, actually. The four year college here doesn’t offer the same things that community did.  It had the newer technologies, newer operating systems.  It also gave me the option of taking certification tests that the university didn’t.  So it seemed like the better idea.”

“Sounds like it,” Itachi agreed.  “You certainly know what you’re about now.”

Izumo chuckled. “I didn’t manage to fix your computer.”

“That wasn’t fair. I broke it on purpose.  It wasn’t supposed to work.  How was I supposed to convince you to date me if you could fix it too quickly?”  Itachi asked.

Izumo laughed. “That’s true.  Your turn.”

Itachi sighed. “Well, you know all the stuff that’s been on the news. How about this – I was in the military.”

Izumo raised his eyebrows. “Really? What branch?”

“Army.  When I… left… all those years ago, I… eventually ended up joining the army.  I’m glad there were no wars,” he said and chuckled.

Izumo nodded. “Me, too,” he said, softly.  Izumo watch Itachi drop eyes and fiddle with the water glass, so he floundered for something else to talk about.  “Um… I like sci fi movies.”

Itachi smiled. “You ought to see my collection.  I also like fantasy, action… pretty much anything except the really stuffy dramas.”

Izumo laughed. “That’s about it for me, too.  Um… Harry Potter?”

Itachi’s smile turned into a grin.  “Yup, got Harry.  Gandalf?”

“Oh yeah.  Ripley.”

“You better believe it!” Itachi said. “But the second one.”

“Yes. First isn’t bad, but the third—“

“Sucks. Badly,” Itachi finished and Izumo, grinning, nodded.

“Definitely.” He paused. “And we won’t even admit to the abomination that is the fourth.”

“No, definitely not.”  Itachi agreed, nodding.

“Um… I’m a total geek. It’s not just what I do for a living.  I play games in the evenings and on the weekends, spend most of my time on the computer.”

“I play games – Xbox, Playstation, that sort of thing. I’ve got all the consoles and most of the decent games. What do you play?” Itachi asked then paused when their wine was brought.  The bottle was opened, cork offered and after Itachi approved it, a glass was poured for each of them before she disappeared again.

“Mostly MMOs, uh, massively-multiplayer online role playing games,” Izumo said before Itachi could ask.

“Oh, which one?” Itachi asked.

“I’ve been playing Lord of the Rings Online for a while.  I’ve sort of fallen in love with Middle Earth.”

“Is it good? I’ve never played on the computer, just consoles.”

Izumo nodded, smile spreading again. “Oh yeah.  It’s a wonderful game.  I have an elf hunter, a dwarf guardian and a human captain.  Haven’t made a hobbit yet.”

“Can they group? Like… work together like in the books and movies?” Itachi asked.

Their seafood platter arrived and they were quiet for a moment as they busied themselves with shrimp and lobster. “You mean the races?” Izumo asked finally and Itachi nodded. “Yes.  Once you get out of the intro - very beginning of the game, you can group with different races.”  He smiled. “I can’t believe you play video games.”

Itachi raised his eyebrows. “Why not?”

“I… don’t know?” He shook his head at himself.  “I guess…” He stopped and shrugged. “I have no idea why. I guess I just thought a CEO wouldn’t have time for something like that.  I’m just… um… glad to hear it,” he finished on a mumble.

“I can understand where you’d get that idea.”  Itachi smiled and Izumo breathed a tiny bit better.  “Do you ever play on consoles?”

Izumo nodded. “Yeah, sometimes. Halo, Mass Effect, um, Call of Duty, that sort of thing.”

Itachi smiled. “All excellent games.”

Izumo glanced up and was brought to a stop at the sparkle in Itachi’s eye, the look on that gorgeous face.  Itachi was focused on _him_ and _only him_ and for whatever reason, for whatever failings Izumo had, this man either didn’t see them or didn’t care.  Izumo tried to ignore the voice that said Itachi would get tired of him like everyone else did, would see those failings very clearly eventually and he pushed the thoughts back, forcing himself to think about now, instead.  “We’ll have to see who can kick whose ass.”

“I look forward to it,” Itachi said and they turned their attention to the food.


	3. Chapter 3

Itachi was amazed.  He’d lost track of time and was fairly certain that it was only by virtue of the fact of who he was that they didn’t get kicked out of the restaurant.  Somewhere around ten forty-five, he checked his watch for the first time that night. He’d noticed that Izumo hadn’t checked once yet, either.

“So, what time is it?” Izumo asked, sipping at his coffee.

“You won’t believe it,” Itachi said, grinning.

“Hmm, let me guess… eight-thirty?” He tilted his head and Itachi’s grin widened.

“Nope. Try again.”

Izumo’s eyebrows went up.  “You’re kidding. Nine?”

Itachi shook his head and pointed toward the ceiling.

“Nine thirty.”

Another shake and point.

“It can’t be ten!” He said, finally looking at his own watch.  His mouth dropped open and he stared for a full minute, making Itachi laugh. “Ten forty-five?” He looked up, his shock turning into a huge smile of his own then it faded a little. “Did you have other plans for tonight?”

Itachi laughed again. “I did, but it doesn’t matter. This was _much_ better.   Perfect, in fact.  I wanted to spend time with you and that’s what we’ve done.  And the night’s not over, yet. We can still go for drinks or something if you want. Or even just get some coffee and drive for a while.  Or take a walk or… anything.   I don’t care.”  Itachi kept to himself the fact that he just didn’t want the night to end yet.  He already had ideas about where he wanted the relationship to go – and those ideas hardly ended at an evening.  But he’d heard enough, gathered enough that Izumo was still afraid of relationships, so he wasn’t about to push.

Besides, as much as he _did_ want more than sex with Izumo, he _was_ just a man, _just_ human and was seriously sexually attracted to this man.  So, he could admit that he was also hoping that when the night _did_ end, it was in his bed.

Because he was damned determined to actually have this man in a real, honest-to-goodness bed.

He could be patient, though. He’d learned that over the years.  And he really _did_ want to spend time with Izumo doing other things.

“Coffee and a walk sounds good. I’d like a bit of air,” Izumo said, staring at him and biting his lip. 

Itachi considered his boyfriend – he loved using that word in relation to Izumo, though he was careful how often he did.  There was something behind the expression, but he couldn’t quite figure it out.  For all he was a genius when it came to business, human relationships were… much more challenging for him.  His parents loved each other, he remembered that, but his grandfather was anything but a healthy person when it came to human interaction and he had most of his exposure to that man. 

And he didn’t want to fuck this up.  He hadn’t wanted something like he wanted Izumo in a very long time.  He smiled and nodded. “Of course.  Shall we, then?” He asked and started to stand.

Izumo stood and Itachi held his hand out, the smile spreading when Izumo took it and the brown eyes closed in reaction.  Itachi lifted it and kissed the knuckles.  Izumo opened his eyes and whatever had been behind the expression a moment ago was gone. In its place was a gorgeous smile and Itachi had to bite hard to keep the words that wanted to come out behind his lips.

“There’s a Starbucks just around the corner, how’s that?” He asked instead then turned and they made their way out of the restaurant.

“That sounds good,” Izumo agreed.  They took a different exit from the hotel out onto the street and turned right, stopping at the corner.  “So…” Izumo started then paused.  Itachi noticed that they hadn’t dropped hands yet and he was glad.  “We got through games and movies and that sort of thing. Um… do you read?”

“Sometimes. The time for that seems to be harder to come by than gaming and such. I don’t know. I get into them and don’t want to put them down…”

“And you would have to be able to at a moment’s notice,” Izumo finished, nodding.

“I read a lot as a teenager.  It was how I hid from girls.”

Izumo grinned. “You hid from girls?”

“I didn’t understand them,” Itachi said, shrugging. “I didn’t get the fascination, you know?”

“Yeah, I do,” Izumo said, nodding. “I’m lucky in that I had Tetsu.  We hung out a lot and were able to avoid them, for the most part. We had a couple of female friends, too, that were good at scaring the rest away.” He laughed and Itachi smiled.

“That would have been nice. I didn’t know that many – I went to a private boys’ school. But we were often shoved together with the girls from their school and it was just… not pretty.  I pretended to be sick for most of the dances and things.”

Izumo shuddered. “That would have been horrible. I’m sorry to hear it. “

Itachi shrugged. “I had friends, too.  A few weird characters and a few normal ones.” He chuckled. “But that’s the last time I did much reading.”  He pointed. “We’re here.”

“Oh! Sorry,” Izumo said, blushing.

“Nothing to be sorry about,” Itachi said, opening the door and holding it for Izumo.

They stepped into the coffee shop and Itachi noticed that it wasn’t very busy, for which he was grateful.  Thus far, they’d avoided any kind of press.  He’d done his damnedest to keep the information about that night away from anyone that could pass it on.  He knew it wouldn’t last forever – eventually, Izumo would be faced with the flashbulbs.  But Itachi wanted to delay it, at least for a while.  The Uchiha family was simply too juicy for them to be left alone.

“Good evening, sir, what can I get you?” The young girl behind the register asked. Itachi smiled and she blushed.  He glanced at his boyfriend, lifted Izumo’s hand and kissed it, then turned back to see her eyes widen and she cleared her throat.

“I’ll have regular coffee, please. Grande of your darkest roast,” Itachi said and turned to Izumo.

“Um… Latte, please.  Grande.” Izumo squeezed Itachi’s hand and grabbed his wallet.  “I’ve got this one.”

“Okay,” Itachi agreed easily.

Izumo paid and they turned to wait for their coffee.  Itachi got his first and moved over to put the couple of packets of sweetener in that he liked.  Izumo joined him a moment later, adding a few of his own.  When they’d finished, Itachi turned to him. “Would you like to stay here? Or continue walking?”

“Let’s walk a bit more.  I love the buildings in this part of town. Especially the high rise apartments.”

“Oh, really?” Itachi asked and Izumo nodded. “Well, then, I’ll be happy to indulge.”

Izumo laughed, making Itachi grin and they headed back out to the street.  They turned and started to wander toward the corner.  Itachi was pleasantly surprised when Izumo reached for his hand.  He glanced down then up to Izumo’s face and saw the blush.  He leaned in and just left a soft kiss on one cheek, not saying anything. 

“That one is beautiful,” Izumo said, pointing with the hand holding his coffee.

“It is. I actually looked into it when I came back, but I didn’t like any of the layouts of the apartments and they were very unaccommodating.” He shook his head. “Bad business for a building supposedly catering to the well-to-do.” 

Izumo raised his eyebrows and looked over. “I’d guess so. The rich tend to want things their way.”  He paused, his mouth shutting with an audible click, his cheek coloring. “Uh, not that I mean you... uh…”

Itachi smiled. “Relax. I didn’t think you meant me.”

“It’s just that… well, I don’t think of you as rich.”  It was almost mumbled, but Itachi caught it and smiled.

“Thank you. I’ll take that as a compliment. I don’t like to think of myself that way, either.”  He turned to point to another of the apartment buildings. “This one is much more open to options.  We also own it.”

“Oh!” Izumo said, looking up. “I didn’t know we had real estate.”

“It’s the prototype building that we did for the security systems branch.” Itachi pointed. “There were three we did. One here, one in Atlanta and one in San Francisco.”

“Not New York or LA?” Izumo asked.

Itachi shook his head. “No. I’m not fond of those cities and they’re already over saturated with high rise, rich buildings. I wanted someplace new.”  He paused and chuckled. “Not that they don’t have their share of rich and high rises.  But it’s…”

“Not the same, yeah,” Izumo agreed. 

“Exactly.” Itachi led the way as they crossed the street, walking along another of the buildings.  “And we do have a real estate branch. It’s fairly small and, for now, intended to work with our security systems only.  But I am looking into expanding it.  There’s a lot to be said for the real estate market, if you’re careful.”

Izumo frowned. “I’m not very familiar with it, but isn’t that what crashed so badly a few years ago?”

“Yes and no.  It was more the mortgage side of it and it was the individuals who shouldn’t have been lured into trying to buy a house when they didn’t have the money that was a big part of the problem. “

“Oh.  Tetsu and I looked into a house at one point.  But there was a lot involved and we weren’t at our current jobs yet.  We decided we’d wait.” He shrugged a shoulder. “We also didn’t know where we’d end up with relationships, you know? If one of us fell in love, we’d end up leaving the other holding the mortgage.”

“Right.  It’s probably a wise thing you didn’t end up going into one.  There are so many families that dream of a house of their own and the media – and mortgage companies – push the idea that everyone can have their own home.  But it’s just not feasible for a lot of people and then they end up worse off, in the end.”

Izumo frowned. “That’s not good.”

Itachi shook his head. “It sounds kind of mean, I recognize that. But the truth is, I imagine it hurts worse to _almost_ have your dream and have it pulled out from under you than to still dream of it.”

Izumo nodded. “I’m sure of it.” He swallowed and Itachi cursed himself. 

“Uh…” he started, feeling distinctly uncomfortable.

“So, are they all huge?” Izumo asked, pointing to the next building.

“The apartments?” Izumo nodded. “Oh, actually, no,” Itachi said, grateful that Izumo didn’t seem hurt.  “Some of them are actually quite small. Half the price is location.”

“Well, that makes a sort of sense. Downtown? Or, well, close to it.”

“Yeah.  Like this one,” Itachi said, stopping in front of the doors to the building Izumo had pointed to. “The lower floors here are all one bedroom apartments. They have offices or dens or whatever you want to call them. But some of them don’t even have their own laundry appliances.”

“Really?” Izumo asked, eyes wide. “That makes no sense.”

“Well, I imagine some of them send pretty much everything out to be cleaned.”

“Oh,” Izumo said, shaking his head. “Duh.”

Itachi laughed. “No, no. No ‘duh’ to it.  It wouldn’t occur to everyone.  On the other hand, if you were single and living in a small apartment, you might not mind going down the hall to a common laundry room, either.”

“That’s true.  I guess I’ve just gotten used to having my own set.”

“I prefer to have my own, too,” Itachi agreed.  “I said that the lower apartments are all small, but the upper few floors are quite large. Would you like to see one?”

Izumo smirked. “You live here.”

Itachi grinned. “I do.” He laughed.

Izumo chuckled and shook his head. “I’d love to see it.”

Itachi let a small breath of relief out and reached for the door. He waited for Izumo to precede him into the lobby. “Good evening, Greg,” Itachi called out. 

The uniformed, grey-haired man that sat behind a low, marble-topped desk raised a hand and waved.  “Good evening, Mr. Uchiha.”  Itachi stepped up to the counter.  Behind Greg was a series of monitors and other equipment that Itachi had seen so many times, it didn’t even register to him anymore. 

“Greg, I’d like to introduce you to Izumo Kamizuki.” Itachi turned, lifting their joined hands. “If I am lucky and don’t screw up with him, you should be seeing him often.”

Izumo’s eyes flew over to Itachi, but he didn’t say anything and Itachi was happy to see the lips twitch into a smile and the eyes happy.

“Very well, Mr. Uchiha, Kami… zuki?” He asked and Itachi nodded.  “Alright, then,” Greg said, adjusting the wire-framed glasses on his nose and writing something down.

“Thank you,” he said to Greg. “Give my regards to Mrs. Johns.”

“I will, Mr. Uchiha, thank you.”

“Of course,” Itachi said then turned. “Shall we?”   Izumo stepped away from the desk as they walked away from the main elevators and toward another set near the back of the lobby.  “Those elevators go to the main floors, stopping on the fortieth.  There are three banks of them and you will very likely go to the wrong set at least a couple of times. I must have made more trips to the fortieth floor than my own before I trained myself to go to the right bank.”

Izumo laughed. “Bull.”

Itachi shook his head. “Nope.  I swear, I did it.” He laughed. “This last bank is private.  There are six elevators for six apartments. I have my own.” He pulled out a key and pushed it into a panel to the right of the first elevator on his left then laid his thumb over a small black square. 

Izumo blinked at him. “You have your own elevator?”

Itachi nodded. “Yes.”  The doors opened and he held out a hand.  Izumo stepped into the small car and he followed, turning to the panel.  “May I have your hand?” Izumo raised an eyebrow, but held it out. Itachi inserted the key into a hole above a keypad built into the panel.  A display lit up above it and asked for a passcode.  There was a beep then he entered a sequence of numbers.  After another two beeps, the display requested the “new print” and Itachi laid Izumo’s thumb onto a small, black pad.  It lit up, then went dark and the display now requested a new passcode. “Enter a six digit code, please.”

Izumo blinked at him then turned to the keypad.  Itachi watched him enter in a number that looked suspiciously like a date.  “May I ask what it is?”

“Three days ago,” Izumo answered, brown eyes locked to him.  Itachi felt all sorts of warmth spread through him over it and it took every ounce of discipline to remember what he was doing instead of kissing the man silly.

“Well, alright,” he said, instead and turned back to the panel.  “Look here,” he said, pointing to a small round glass piece above the display.  Izumo did and a moment later, the display read, “Accepted.”

“Now, you can use the elevator any time you wish.  You’ll use your thumbprint to call it on the panel outside. It’ll ask you for a retina read, your thumbprint and the code you entered before it will go up to my apartment, but once you do, you’ll be in.”

Izumo stared at him, mouth dropping open. “You just… uh… basically gave me a key to your apartment?”

Itachi nodded. “Well, yes. But it’s not like I can easily just open the door for you, is it?”

Izumo’s lips twitched. “No, that’s true. I…” he shook his head. “I… don’t know what to say. I mean…  Well, you probably do this for a lot of people.”

“No,” Itachi said, firmly. “And there’s nothing to say.  There are exactly three people besides me that have access to this apartment.  Sasuke, obviously.  You should also know that there are a few other inhabitants in my apartment. One is in my employ – Jake has a suite of rooms behind the kitchen,” he hurried to say when Izumo’s eyes widened.  “And the other two don’t speak. Much.”  Izumo blinked, his eyebrows went up and he stared and Itachi’s lips twisted into a smirk. “You’ll see.”

Izumo turned to watch the numbers on the display and Itachi took the opportunity to lean in.   He paused to inhale Izumo’s scent, eyes closed.  “You smell so good,” he whispered. Izumo turned to him and before Itachi could even blink, those damned addictive lips were on him and Itachi moaned.  Then he leaned into Izumo, pushing his lover against the side of the elevator and arms came around him. 

“Oh God,” Izumo whispered when Itachi pulled back briefly.  “I have wanted to kiss you all night… since we got out of the limo.”

Itachi grinned. “Me, too.”  He reached up and brushed Izumo’s bangs aside. “You have such gorgeous eyes,” he murmured, running his thumb over one cheek. 

Izumo blushed and shook his head. “Yours are. They make me think of storms.  Of the kind you love to get lost in where the wind whips at your hair and the water falls sideways, but that you just can’t help but want to stand in the middle of and… just… let it surround you...”

Itachi smiled. “My, my.   You’re a poet, too.”

Izumo’s blush darkened. “Uh, well… um…” His mouth snapped shut.

Itachi’s smile widened. “Don’t be embarrassed.   It’s wonderful.”

“Really?”  Izumo asked and Itachi nodded.  “I, uh, used to write.”

Itachi’s eyebrows went up. “You write?”

“I used to. Uh, stories and stuff. I haven’t in a while. Got away from it. Tetsu’s always bugging me to get back to it.”

“He’s right, you should. You have a beautiful way with words. When you’re not embarrassed, that is,” Itachi said.  He glanced at the display then stepped back.  “We’re here.”

The elevator doors opened and Itachi held his hand out.  Izumo stepped out to a small entryway and Itachi pushed open the double doors opposite the elevator itself.  Izumo moved past him and then paused when he saw the living room ahead. “Wow.”

Itachi grinned. “The view is incredible, isn’t it?”  Izumo nodded. “It’s one of the things I love about this place.  There are big windows up in the master suite, too.”  Izumo turned to him then back to the living without speaking.  Itachi watched his eyes move over the furniture and saw when the recognition hit. “Yes.  My decorator – a truly horrible man with an overdramatic flair – was in love with Tony Stark.”

“Who wouldn’t be?” Izumo muttered, eyes darting to Itachi.  Itachi blinked at him, raising his eyebrows. “I believe your decorator imagined you were quite a bit like him and I don’t blame the decorator one bit,” Izumo said and it took Itachi a moment for the meaning to sink in.  Izumo was comparing _him_ to Tony Stark.

“Oh,” Itachi said, blushing. “Uh…”  He had no idea what to do with that, but then the rest of what Izumo said sank in and his eyes flew back to his boyfriend’s face.  Izumo was watching him, biting on a lip and he stepped up to his lover, reaching out.   The coffee cup was removed from Izumo’s hand and both were set on the bar almost absently.  Then, like he’d been doing since he saw Izumo the first time, he let himself go with instinct.  His hands came up to frame Izumo’s face and then their lips were fused.  He felt arms go around him, hands slide up over his back and he let a soft moan out.  He heard an answering one as the lips against his opened and he deepened the kiss, needing more, needing the taste of this man.

They broke apart and he was about to suggest that they move upstairs when he felt the weaving around his feet and heard a very distinct, “Meow.”

He pulled back, smiling.  “Izumo, may I introduce the other two inhabitants of my home.”

Izumo looked down and his face split into a huge smile. “Hello, there. And who are you?” He asked, squatting next to a large calico-colored cat.   He was answered with another loud meow.

“That is… Altair.”

Izumo looked up quickly and laughed. “Altair? He’s a climber, is he?”

Itachi grinned, thrilled that Izumo got it. “Very much so.  Ah, here’s the other,” he said, turning to lift an enormous long-haired grey cat.  “This is…”

“Ezio?” Izumo asked and Itachi nodded and laughed, thrilled that Izumo guessed right.

“Yes, this is Ezio, who also climbs.”  Ezio blinked at him then looked at the other human and his expression said, _of course I climb, silly human, what did you think I do?_  

“They’re gorgeous.  Will he let me pick him up?” Izumo asked, petting Altair.

“You can try.  Sometimes he does and sometimes he wants to be alone.”

Izumo grinned. “Appropriate for his name.”  He lifted Altair, who seemed to simply settle into Izumo’s arms and Itachi’s smile got even wider.  The cats didn’t like everyone that Itachi had in the apartment and, in fact, had specifically _not_ liked most.  They’d responded well to Jake. And now Izumo.

“They like you,” Itachi said, quietly. “That’s rare. They don’t even like Sasuke.”

Izumo’s eyebrows went up. “Really?” He asked, looking over at Altair and scratching behind one black ear.  The cat’s eyes were closed and Itachi could hear the purring from where he was standing.  “Well…” He shook his head, grinning at the animal in his arms.

“Yup.  You are, apparently, a keeper.”

Izumo’s head whipped around and he stared at Itachi with wide eyes for a long moment.   Itachi set Ezio down, took Altair from Izumo’s arms and pulled his boyfriend into his own.  “I’m sorry, I’m really not trying to make you uncomfortable,” he murmured and Izumo swallowed, shaking his head.

“You’re not. I’m just… God, Itachi… I want you. I like you, more than seems sane for three days.   And yet… I can’t… I don’t want to examine it too closely.”  He took a deep breath, his eyes closing. “But… I… I just…” his mouth snapped closed and he dropped his forehead on Itachi’s chest.  “I’m sorry,” he mumbled.

“Shh. Don’t be.   It’s okay. The fault is mine. I’m really not trying to push you.  I just…” he paused and held his breath for a moment, pushing the things that wanted to come out back. “I like you, too. A lot and I just want to make you happy, be with you.”

Izumo nodded. “I can do that. I’m sorry.”

“No. No sorry.” He put his finger under Izumo’s chin and tilted the handsome face up to him. “How about we bring it back to something we both know works well between us?”

Izumo smiled.  “I can do that, I’d like to. This has been an amazing evening.”

Itachi’s smile matched Izumo’s. “It has been.  And I have been very patient, but you are incredibly sexy in a suit and I am about at the end of my tolerance for holding back.”

Izumo laughed and Itachi let out a small breath of relief.  “Me, too.  Don’t get me wrong, you and jeans is… well, you saw how I reacted to you the other night.  But the suit is very hot.”

Itachi’s smile widened. “I’m glad to know it.  Why don’t I show you the upstairs, then?”

Izumo nodded and they turned toward the stairs.   When they stopped on the upper landing, Itachi waved with his hand toward the small open sitting area that was lined with bookshelves.  “Over there is my limited library.  The Uchiha family home has a full-sized library, but the one here is much more limited.  I keep thinking I’ll expand it then I just… don’t.”

Izumo chuckled. “That happens.  You have plenty of other things on your mind.  And it’s still quite a few books.  Our apartment is kind of crammed with them.  But I don’t have a second place to put them.”  He smirked and Itachi laughed.

“Right.  That’s my home office,” he said, pointing toward the closed door next to the library.  “It’s actually quite basic and made for working.  You’re welcome to use it any time you’re here.  That,” he said, pointing toward a pair of pocket doors, “Is my media room. I hope to spend a good deal of time with you there.  But for tonight…”  Itachi turned and pulled open the double doors in front of them.

They stepped in and he pointed to the wall opposite the doors. “The windows I was telling you about.”

“They’re gorgeous.”  Itachi watched Izumo’s reaction as the brown eyes took in the rest of the room.  Most of it was pretty basic – he had a couple of chairs by the windows with a small table between them.  There was a fireplace on one wall and a large , color LCD TV above it.  But when he got to the last major thing in his room, color suffused his cheeks. “Uh, the decorator… he, um…”

“Imagined being in that with you, I have no doubt,” Izumo said, snickering.

Itachi laughed, feeling better.  “It’s ridiculous, I know.”  His bed was… huge.  It was custom made, larger than a California King, though he didn’t know by how much, and raised up on a short dais.  It was dark wood with four posts and a canopy over top with long portions of white fabric trailing over either side.  “I keep thinking I’ll get rid of it.  Get something more reasonable since I’m the only one that ever sleeps in it.”  He paused and glanced over at Izumo. “Well, I was. Now…”

“Now, you’re probably thinking something like I am… the things we could do together in that,” Izumo answered for him, turning heated eyes his way and his smile widened as his color faded.

“Something like that,” he agreed.  “The first thing I was going to do with it was get rid of that fabric. I mean… really, but then I came in one day and Altair was sitting on top of the upper frame and I just couldn’t take it away from him.”

Izumo laughed. “Of course not.  That’s awfully high, though. How does he get down?”

“He can land on the bed pretty easily without hurting himself.” He pointed above the bed to the large iron and wood ceiling fan. “He once got stuck up on top of the fan.”

Izumo’s eyebrows went up. “You’re kidding! How’d you get him down?”

“Jake brought a ladder in and pulled him down.  Altair… was not happy. I think his ego was seriously damaged.”

Izumo laughed. “I guess so.  They’re beautiful cats. Where did you get them?”

“The shelter.  Altair was a lot smaller when I got him.  He was a teenager and had an attitude that the family he’d been with before didn’t appreciate.  He’s a Manx which is, apparently, part of their personalities.  I’ve just learned when to avoid him and let him approach me when he wants attention. It works for us.”

Izumo nodded.  “Sure.  That’s… wow, I didn’t expect the shelter. That’s great,” Izumo said, his smile firmly in place.

Itachi shrugged. “I prefer to give something a home that wouldn’t otherwise have one.  Ezio was a bit of a different story.  His family just didn’t like his hair which wasn’t quite that long as a kitten.  When I went in to find Altair some company for when I was gone, Ezio walked up, sat down in front of me and meowed loudly.  That was all there was to it.”

Izumo grinned. “I bet. That’s wonderful.  They’re really great.  I love them. I might have to just come visit them.”

“Anytime.”  Itachi laughed.  “I think so, too.  They keep me from going too crazy.”  He turned to Izumo and pulled him in.  “But enough about them.”

“Mm. Yes,” Izumo agreed.  “I’d rather do something else,” he whispered.

“Me, too,” Itachi murmured then caught Izumo’s lips with his own.  And he felt it, yet again. That static, that feeling of it being so right.  His hands came up to thread through the long, brown hair and he tilted his head, deepening the kiss. 

Itachi was so afraid of stepping wrong with this man, of messing this up and losing Izumo but this, this right here, he felt like he could do right.  He pulled back and reached up, slowly pushing Izumo’s jacket off of him.  He stopped to drape it carefully over the valet that was near his door, then he was back.  Izumo returned the favor and then they paused, their eyes meeting for a long moment.  “God, you’re gorgeous,” Itachi whispered, thumb brushing a cheek, then pushing the bangs out of Izumo’s eyes. 

Izumo cleared his throat.  “You are.  I can’t… believe that… that…”

“I’m yours?” Itachi asked and Izumo nodded. “Believe it. You’re the one I want.”  He pulled Izumo against him and there was no mistaking the arousal that was now pressing against Izumo’s own. “Does that feel like I don’t want you?”

Izumo shook his head. “No, no, that feels like you very much do.”

“I do.  I am fascinated by you, want you more than I’ve wanted anything in a very, _very_ long time.”

“God, I want you, too.”

“Good.  Let’s stop thinking so much for a while,” Itachi whispered, catching Izumo’s lips with his own again.    They got lost in it, in the feel of each other, in touch and need.  Hands moved over each other’s bodies then Itachi pulled back again. “Too many clothes,” he murmured, tugging at Izumo’s tie. 

“Too many,” Izumo agreed, working at Itachi’s and both were tossed to the side then lips were fused once more, neither willing to part for long.  They turned and, without stopping the kiss, danced toward the bed until Izumo felt it against his legs.  They broke apart as he fell back and Itachi paused to pull off and toss two sets of shoes and socks, then he was leaning over Izumo, the kiss stealing sanity once more.  Izumo’s hands went to work on Itachi’s buttons, needing the clothing _gone._

But Itachi didn’t want to rush it.  He finally had this man in a proper bed and he was determined to draw it out, take his time.  He wanted to touch and taste everything he possibly could on Izumo’s body, drive the man to the edge of insanity and so he pulled back.  He tugged his own shirt off, throwing it in the direction of nowhere before he leaned back in.  He left another long kiss on Izumo’s lips before moving over chin and jaw until he found that spot behind the ear that drove his lover crazy.  He opened the first few buttons of Izumo’s shirt as he worked it then started leaving a trail of kisses as he made his way down.

When it was finally opened, he moved enough to let Izumo pull it off and toss it aside, then they were back, skin to skin, and there was a moan that Itachi belatedly realized was from him.  He couldn’t care, the feel of the man under him was just too damned good.  He rocked, their arousals rubbing and even through the thick fabric it drew even louder moans, this time from both of them.

Izumo’s hands slid down his back, cupping his ass and pulling him tighter.  Their lips caught again, more loss of wits and it took everything Itachi had in him to remember what he wanted.  He succeeded, barely, and managed to sit up.  He got the button on Izumo’s pants undone then the zipper down and then finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Izumo was down to underwear.

Itachi paused to stare.  Izumo wore a pair of black briefs that were, in fact, _very_ brief.  His lover’s arousal was obvious and barely contained, tip peaking over the waistband, causing his own cock to jump.  He wanted, needed to say something, but his mind was completely blank, his thinking capacity temporarily gone.  His eyes trailed slowly up along Izumo’s body until they met the brown eyes.  The expression on his lover’s face – Izumo was afraid of his reaction – broke him out of his stupor and he sucked in a rough breath.  “You look good enough to eat,” he growled, letting his palm run over Izumo’s cock, stroking through the thin cotton very briefly.

Izumo groaned, eyes closing and bucked and Itachi couldn’t resist the need to feel anymore.  He fumbled for his own button and he had to fight with it, the need making things ridiculously difficult.  After a long moment, he finally had it open, his own pants off and his underwear – a red version very similar to his lover’s black, was straining as much as Izumo’s.

And then he was back, cradled by Izumo’s body, his lover’s arms around him and their lips locked again. His body was demanding he forget this insane idea of going slow but Itachi hadn’t been through his own version of hell to not learn restraint.  Once more, he managed to pull back and turn his attention to giving pleasure, determined to make this man feel as good as he possibly could.  With another heated look into the brown eyes, he slid along Izumo’s body and started taking the tastes he’d wanted so badly. 

And taste he did.  He’d learned much that night in his office, but he still had more to explore.  So he kissed every conceivable place on Izumo’s chest and stomach, teasing muscles and watching in fascination as they jumped.  He listened avidly to the moans, savored the shifts as his lover bucked in need.  He looked up, pausing to take in the way those brown eyes were focused on him, hazy with need and the mouth hanging open as Izumo fought to simply breathe.  Izumo gripped at the covers, obviously for something to stay grounded and Itachi’s eyes, as heated as the brown ones were, promised that he’d make that very difficult, indeed.

He turned back to his task, skipping Izumo’s cock and the underwear altogether and turning, instead, for one thigh.  He kissed and teased his way along the inner sensitive skin, yet again ignoring the straining length.  Izumo groaned, bucking, trying to pull Itachi’s attention to it, but Itachi resisted, working his way down the other leg.  Only when he’d found and played with a spot behind Izumo’s knee did he give in and come back, hovering above an obvious wet spot.  He smiled, a half smile the promised so much more, then finally – _finally –_ started pulling the black underwear down.

He kept it slow, a tease in itself and Izumo’s sounds turned almost pathetic.  Knuckles turned white as the covers were gripped tighter and Izumo’s eyes pleaded with him. But Itachi wasn’t quite ready, yet, to give in. 

When he tossed the underwear off to the side, he paused to take in the vision in front of him.  Izumo’s cock looked almost painfully hard, red and dripping pre-cum.  His lover was moving, writhing in need, from what he’d done and Itachi thrilled in the knowledge.  He paused, sucking in a breath, when his eyes landed on the shaved sac and he momentarily battled his own nearly desperate need again.   “My God, baby, you’re incredible,” he murmured then leaned in over Izumo, needing another taste of the amazing mouth. 

Izumo’s arms and legs came around him, pulling him in with a strength that surprised.  Itachi found himself flush against his lover’s body, their cocks grinding, mouths fused, sounds of pure, undiluted need flowing from both of them and he couldn’t resist it anymore.  He reached down, trying to work his own underwear off, but his hand was pulled away and Izumo took over.  Then they rolled and he found himself at the mercy of a very aroused, needy lover.

Izumo took no prisoners, he held nothing back, teasing, tasting, touching nearly every square inch of Itachi’s body.  Itachi was nearly begging by the time Izumo hovered over his cock, mouth open, brown eyes full of heat and just a little bit of evil intent.  But Izumo didn’t give in to what Itachi was trying to wordlessly plead for, no.  Instead, he avoided Itachi’s cock altogether and ran his tongue over tight sac and smooth taint.  Itachi reached up and gripped the headboard lest he hurt Izumo with how hard he needed to grip _something_. 

His sounds turned to downright whines, his cock nearly hurting with how aroused he was.  But he _loved_ Izumo like this, loved the look on that gorgeous face, loved the need and want that he felt coming from his lover.  He gripped the slats of his headboard harder, hands squeezing the wood as the tongue dipped down and touched his entrance. “Oh God, baby…” he groaned, hearing an answering hum.  His toes curled into the cover as the tongue worked its way back over taint and tight sac, then slowly, horribly slowly, along Itachi’s length.  “Fuck…”

“Mm.” Izumo raised up over him, catching his gaze.  He paused, hovering once more over Itachi’s hard, dripping cock.  Itachi rocked, silently begging for that tiny little distance to be closed.  Another few seconds that stretched into an eternity and then Itachi shouted as his cock was swallowed in one move. 

He was going crazy, he was sure of it.  Izumo sucked, pulled off, teased head and shaft then swallowed again and Itachi could do nothing but shout and curse, interspersed with pleas to his ‘baby.’  His cock was worked over thoroughly and he felt himself fly, at incredible speed, toward the edge of his control.    
“Please, baby,” he begged, tugging on anything on Izumo he could reach.

His lover pulled off and paused, then they were together again, bodies straining toward each other, cocks rubbing.  Their lips met and parted, the kiss deepening with each one.  “Please… ‘Tachi, need to feel you,” Izumo managed on a break and Itachi couldn’t have resisted the need he heard for anything.  He dove for his bedside table, grateful he’d filled the drawer earlier that day and surfaced with bottle and packet. 

“Roll over, baby,” Itachi whispered and Izumo did as he was bid, back arching, pushing his hips out.   “Fuck, you’re gorgeous.”  Itachi forced himself to remember what he was doing, but he still took a brief moment to kiss a line down Izumo’s spine.  When he sat back behind his lover, he stared at the sexy ass in front of him and gave in to the urge to kiss his way over each cheek.  He listened to the moan and parted the cheeks enough, dipping his face in and running his tongue over his lover’s entrance, earning himself even louder sounds.  Izumo rocked back and Itachi took the encouragement, pushing his own need back for another moment.

Instead, he worked the muscle over, tongue teasing every tiny bit he could.  He paid attention to each moan, each movement and repeated what drew the reactions, finally pushing his tongue through the ring. He was rewarded with a very loud groan and Izumo rocking back.  Itachi held his lover’s hips, working his tongue, then pulling out and teasing the outside before pushing it back in once more.  Before long, Izumo was writhing again, need pouring from his throat in long sounds and Itachi found he just couldn’t wait anymore.

He sat back, snatching up the bottle and forced himself to slow enough to prepare Izumo.  Three days was enough, he knew, that he needed to do something or it could be seriously uncomfortable for the man and the _last_ thing he wanted to do was hurt his lover.  He leaned over Izumo, kissing his way over shoulder and neck as he pushed the first finger in.  He closed his eyes, resting his face against Izumo’s skin as he was surrounded by heat and it took all his discipline to fight the urge to forget it and just _take._   “God, baby, can’t wait to be in there.”

“Then don’t _play_ , ‘Tachi and take me already…”

Itachi groaned at the words and managed to hold on for a little longer, getting as far as the second finger before he gave up.  He ripped at foil, threw it aside and kept himself steady enough to get the latex in place and the bottle open.  He used too much lube, but couldn’t bring himself to care because a few seconds later, he was lined up and pushing home.

And that’s what it felt like, _home_. 

He’d never belonged anywhere like he belonged here, with this man.  He closed his eyes as he slowly filled Izumo and when he was finally buried, he curled over Izumo’s back, dropping soft kisses over shoulder and neck. “You feel _so_ good, baby,” Itachi murmured, brushing the hair out of Izumo’s face and kissing the cheek when his lover turned toward him.

“Mmm, so do you. So good….”  The brown eyes met his and Itachi got lost in the look for a long moment, the emotion slamming into him.  His heart skipped a beat, his breathing stuttered to a stop and his vision tunneled to this one image – those eyes, full of something that, he was sure, Izumo didn’t realize was there.  _Love_. 

His breathing restarted in fits, his heart pounding as it hit him – the fascination, the need, the want for Izumo, what it all meant.  Izumo twisted his head a little more and their lips met and Itachi pushed it off to face later. Now was not the time. 

When they broke apart, he pulled back and started moving, fighting to keep from getting lost in the feel of Izumo’s body, the tight heat surrounding him.  But he couldn’t stay back for long, needing the closeness and he leaned back in, hand sliding along Izumo’s arm until it met his lovers and their fingers threaded.  He rested his forehead on Izumo’s back as he thrust, the feelings almost overwhelming.

He wrapped his other arm around his lover, his hand sliding in until it wrapped around Izumo’s cock.  He started moving it, stroking, trying to focus enough on it to help himself last. This all felt just too good, he was too worked up and if he didn’t do something, he was afraid he’d go off like some teenager.

“Oh God, ‘Tachi… so… _nngh…_ ” Izumo grunted at the feel, the hand clasping Itachi’s tightening.  He started moving, matching Itachi’s thrusts, pumping into the hand around him, then back onto the cock inside of him and it drew loud moans from Itachi’s throat.

“Yes, baby!” Itachi managed, squeezing his eyes closed as he tried, damned near desperately, to scrabble around for some sanity or control. Both seemed horribly elusive at that moment.  “Too good, oh God…” He forced himself to slow, needing to draw it out, at least a little.  He let go of Izumo’s cock and paused, holding there for a brief moment before pulling out and sitting up. 

He was about to say something, perhaps suggest they switch positions when Izumo turned around, kissing him thoroughly, then whispered, “Lay back.”

Itachi, not one to deny Izumo, did as he was asked and his eyes widened when Izumo straddled him, easing down onto his cock. Then they slid closed as his length was once more enclosed in the amazing bliss of Izumo’s body again and he moaned loudly, hands going to Izumo’s hips for something to hold on to.  Izumo started moving, bracing himself on Itachi’s thighs and Itachi looked up to watch Izumo watch him.  Their eyes locked to each other and Itachi started moving.  When Izumo lifted up and came back down, he met the his lover with thrusts of his own.

“Oh God!” Izumo shouted and Itachi couldn’t hold in the growl of pleasure at knowing what he was giving to his lover.  Then Izumo worked his muscles, hugging Itachi’s cock and Itachi knew he couldn’t hold on much longer. It was too much, too good, everything just a little too perfect.

He reached for Izumo’s cock, determined to bring Izumo with him, at least, if he couldn’t push his lover over the edge first.  Izumo’s eyes slid closed, his head was thrown back and the sounds – full shouts now – fell almost constantly as the pleasure finally got to be too much.  “Oh god, lo… nngh… yes… I’m… Tachi, I’m… oh…” Izumo babbled, lost completely to sensation.

Itachi held on, tried desperately, but then Izumo came down again, his muscles clamped, a shouted, “’Tachi… love… oh _God_ … coming!” filtered through the noise in his head and he lost it himself.  He surged up into Izumo just as the hot liquid splashed his chest, his own noises erupting, shouts of _baby_ and _Izumo_ filling the room.  He gripped Izumo’s hip as his thrusts turned short and sharp, the climax tearing along his body in a way he’d never felt before.  He rode it out, the orgasm long and hard before he finally started to calm.

Izumo fell onto him, moans still coming from his lover’s throat.  He felt another spurt of cum hit him and he thrilled in the knowledge that Izumo’s orgasm was at least as long as his was, that he’d given this man such pleasure.  His arms went around Izumo, his heart pounding as he scrambled for some tiny bit of coherent thought and clear breath.  Neither seemed within reach at the moment.

Not that he really cared. He felt way too damned good right then. 

Izumo wrapped his arms up around Itachi’s shoulders, burying his face in Itachi’s neck.  Itachi felt kisses along his skin and he hummed in pleasure at the feel.  He ran one hand along Izumo’s spine up to the back of his lover’s head and he turned his face to leave light kisses on forehead and hair – anywhere he could reach. 

They lay together in silence for several long moments, neither willing to move.  Somewhere along the way, Itachi started to pull out, but Izumo just shook his head slightly and Itachi stopped, holding there, feeling ridiculously good that his lover didn’t want to let him go.  “I’ve never felt anything like that before.  Ever,” Izumo whispered.

“Me, either, baby.”

Izumo stayed silent for a moment. “I like that.”

“Baby?” Itachi asked and Izumo nodded. “I like ‘Tachi’,” he said and felt a smile at his neck. “Will you call me that?”

Izumo nodded again. “I’d like that.”

Itachi bit brutally at his lip as he fought hard against words that weren’t right yet.  When he was sure they were firmly in place he opened his mouth again.  “This was amazing.  Will you… will you stay with me tonight?”

Izumo looked up at him, lifting a hand and brushing hair out of his face.  “I’d be happy to.  I was hoping you’d ask.”

Itachi’s smile bloomed on his face and he could tell it was wide.  Izumo’s spread as well. “Should we get cleaned up? Settle in?”

Izumo nodded and eased off of him.  Itachi climbed out of bed, taking Izumo’s hand and led the way into the bathroom.  He quickly took care of the condom, then pulled out a washcloth and turned on the tap.  Izumo stood nearby and took the washcloth from him. “It’s my turn to do this for you,” he murmured and Itachi smiled.

“Thank you,” he said, reaching up to play with brown hair, brush at a cheek, run his hand down an arm – anything.  Just _touch_.  Izumo made quick work of the mess on Itachi’s chest, then Itachi took it and cleaned the bit that had splashed onto Izumo’s skin.  He rinsed it and tossed it into the basket then led Izumo back to the bed.  He pulled the top cover down, making a note to get it washed the next day and he and Izumo settled in under the sheets. 

Their legs tangled, their arms wrapped and Izumo looked up into Itachi’s face.  “Thank you for such a wonderful evening.”

“Thank _you_ ,” Itachi replied, leaning in and taking a long, slow  taste. “God, you taste good, feel good… you’re just… amazing, baby.”

Izumo looked up at him for a long moment, those huge brown eyes looking a little lost, a lot grateful and a whole mess of other things Itachi couldn’t sort through.  “Thank you,” he settled on. “I think you’re the amazing one.  I can’t seem to get enough of you.”

Itachi smiled.  “Good.  I hope you never do,” Itachi whispered, wrapping his arms a little tighter around Izumo, who settled against him.  “I won’t ever get enough of you,” he promised. 

Izumo considered him, then bent his head and tucked it under Itachi’s chin.  “I hope not,” he whispered, but Itachi caught it and tightened his arms.  Izumo dropped a few kisses over his chest, then settled down again.

They lay in silence for a long time and Itachi let his mind wander to the future.  He knew, now, what this was, knew what he felt for this man.  He vowed that somehow, someway, he’d prove to Izumo that they belonged together, that this static proved it – that they were _right_ together.

When he felt Izumo’s breathing even out, he kissed the top of the brown head again and finally let out in a whisper the words that had been so insistent all night. “I love you.”  A few moments later, he was asleep.


End file.
